Estevan is one of 14 communities from across Saskatchewan that will receive a visit from the Cinema4Change Outdoor Movie Tour this year.

The performance will be on Monday, August 16 at the Hillcrest Playpark. Proceeds from the event will go to Estevan’s playpark program, which allows young children to enjoy games, crafts and swimming for free on a daily basis throughout the summer.

A G-rated family movie will be shown on a giant inflatable screen during the Cinema4Change stop in Estevan. Admission is free, but there will be a concession and other means to raise money for the playparks.

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The 2010 Summer Screen series in McCarren Park kicks off tonight

The free outdoor movie festival begins at sundown and takes place at the McCarren Park Ball Fields in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Tonight’s movie is “Say Anything” with John Cusack.

Hudson River Park’s “River Flicks” has 2 movie screenings a week, one for adults on Wednesday’s and one for children on Friday’s

Tonight’s movie for the Adults is “The Hangover” and it starts at 8:30pm on Pier 54

There is free popcorn for everyone in attendance and snacks and beverages available for purchase.

Yesterday, I was hanging out in Asheville with an old friend, and talking about movies. It’s what we mostly talk about when we get together, and it was even more relevant because he was showing me the basics of three-point lighting for a non-Spark project I’ve been working on. As we talked about all kinds of film-nerd stuff — learning two-camera set-ups, planning inserts and the like — he mentioned that he was thinking about starting up a drive-in movie theater as a kind of side business.
This is the sort of subject that speaks right to my inner film-geek.

Even though drive-in culture was essentially dead when I was a kid, there were a few struggling screens in Joplin, Missouri, where my father lived. Like many kids who are put in the middle of a divorce, I spent my summers with my dad. And since Joplin didn’t exactly have a lot of kid-friendly options at the time, we spent a lot of evenings at the drive-in, watching pretty much every early feature. I can clearly remember seeing the Matthew Broderick flick War Games in a double feature with The Iceman when I was six or seven (even though IMDB insists that they were released a year apart), hearing all the sound through the tinny-sounding window-mounted speakers that the place still used. There was a playground in front of the screen, so that kids who didn’t want to watch the movie could have something to do, and still be within their parents’ field of vision. I remember busting open my toe and having to leave the drive-in — wailing — in the middle of some dumb summer action flick. It’s still a good memory.

For me, drive-ins were very much a part of the magic of my childhood. But while I love the places, and have taken overly long car trips as an adult to go to the few that are still open, I’ve never considered them economically viable. I’ve always thought of them as more like hobbies or side businesses for film fanatics.

So, when my pal mentioned that he was thinking about starting one, I was totally excited and completely skeptical. He’s not the sort of person who is prone to speculative daydreaming, and he actually helps to run a “walk-in” film series in Asheville. But the more we talked about it, the more I started to see the possibilities. And it might just work.

To understand why it might, let’s revisit what a drive-in actually is. On a functional level, all it takes to start a drive-in is: a large, wide, flat vertical surface to use as a screen (you can even use the side of a building if it’s prepped correctly); a fairly powerful projector (decent commercial digital projectors are now in the $20,000 to $15,000 range); some kind of limited-range FM transmitter (the old speakers are awesome, but long gone); and a place for people to park. To make a decent profit, you’ll also need some kind of concession stand, although that can actually be subcontracted out to vendors. There’s also insurance, licenses and fees and contracts to screen current films, but the hard start-up costs aren’t insane by any means. Still, we’re looking at least $100,000 to do this right in the hopes that people would actually brave the weather to watch a movie in a novel setting. It’s a risk, particularly in a place like Spartanburg.

Which brings me to today’s Big Idea: Spartanburg’s Walk-In Theater.

First, let’s tweak the concept. Instead of driving-in and watching the movie in a car, what if it was just an outdoor film screening? A walk-in theater, that is. There’s already something like it happening with the Hub City Church-sponsored Movies In The Park. What if it was a bit more nightlife oriented than that, though? After all, Spartanburg lacks an arthouse cinema, and plenty of people will attend film screenings of classic films just for something interesting to do, as demonstrated by the Hollywood Classic film series at the Chapman Cultural Center. And HUB-BUB has tried out the idea many times, including their current Sauce’s Summer Film Series.

Wouldn’t it be possible to hold a weekly, outdoor/indoor, late-night, walk-in film screening at a place with food and beer? Not as an occasional event during the summer, but as a vital part of Spartanburg’s nightlife. A cheapish, off-the-shelf digital projector would cost like $1,000 new, and odds are that plenty of people in town already have access to one. And it’s a lot easier to screen an older film on DVD than it is to get the rights to a new summer blockbuster. As I understand it — and I may be wrong — as long as the screening itself is free and everyone is welcome to attend, there’s no need to actually license the rights. It’s hard to see this as a win-win thing for the community and any business that would like to support it.

If you’re savvy with the film happenings in bigger cities, odds are this is hardly a new idea for you. Again, just in Asheville there are two weekly free screenings of classic films at just one theater — the Carolina Cinema — and I can tell you from personal experience that they’re generally packed. The theater or venue gets concessions, the crowds get to watch a movie on the big screen, and the costs are minimal. And that’s hardly the only thing like it happening on a weekly basis in that town. Surely, Spartanburg’s increasingly hip community can support more film screenings than it currently does.

And there’s absolutely no reason Spartanburg can’t trump that snooty mountain town on this front. As long as we’re willing to roll-up our sleeves and get to work, that is.

Now comes the brainstorm. Let’s hear your ideas on how to make this a major part of the newly revitalized downtown. Where can we hold these screenings? Who will organize and promote them? What sorts of films should we make a priority? (My take? A double-header of classic mainstream films from 1930 to 1980, followed by classic horror films for the late-night crowd.)

Remember, this is a brainstorm and there are no bad ideas. Silly ideas, yes, but not bad ones. And even silly ideas can have merit. I’ll also start a Spartanburg Film Society in our new Groups section for those of you who want to keep the topic going.

Giant-screen movie technology company IMAX Corp is looking to pump up ticket revenues by opening IMAX Portable Theaters in the country’s third- and fourth-tier cities.

“Made with a type of hard plastic, an IMAX Portable Theater is a big structure like a tennis bubble blown up. They can be set up anywhere from the Great Wall to a rural Chinese village,” Richard Gelfond, CEO of IMAX Corp, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily.

“It may give our brand more opportunities to run special events for big premieres and also expand our footprint into new locations where they might not have the infrastructure for a traditional theatre.”

Currently, there are only 31 multiplex cinemas across China, with each location boasting a population of over 1 million. China, which is IMAX’s second-largest market after the United States, still offers many opportunities, said Gelfond.

Each inflatable structure costs more than $ 1 million to build and it is able to seat around 450 people, equipped with IMAX-standard screens and audio. Gelfond said its first portable theater in China would open in September.

He said he hopes that advertising revenue generated from the giant billboard created on the inside and outside of each structure would help offset the cost of building them. He also plans to seek government assistance in subsidizing entertainment projects in small cities and rural areas.

China is IMAX’s fastest-growing market with 23 IMAX cinemas opened to date. The company has plans for more than 50 IMAX theaters by 2012.

In mid-June, IMAX and Wanda Cinema Line Corporation, one of the fastest growing cinema chains in China, announced plans to add three additional IMAX systems in the cities of Quanzhou, Wuhan and Dalian.

Wanda now operates four IMAX cinemas across China.

According to the agreement, Wanda will operate 14 IMAX theatres by the end of 2012.

Gelfond said: “We license our technologies to Chinese film exhibitors, like Wanda, UEM and Stellar, who build the theaters. And they pay us an upfront fee of about $ 1.3 million per theater as well as royalties. IMAX will keep 3 to 5 percent of the box office receipts.”

“IMAX will also help design the theaters and do the marketing work as well as offer content to these exhibitors,” he said.

Chinese film exhibitors are keen on getting the rights to show IMAX films, especially after Hollywood blockbuster films like Avatar grossed 160 million yuan ($ 24 million) total at 14 IMAX cinemas in China, accounting for about 10 percent of the total box office take at IMAX cinemas across the globe.

In cooperation with Huayi Brothers Media Group, Aftershock, a Chinese blockbuster film about the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that killed 300,000 people, is due for release on July 22, and has become the first film that IMAX helped digitally remaster outside the US.

Director Feng Xiaogang said he expects his film to reap about 500 million yuan at the box office. Gelfond said IMAX will lessen the cost of converting films to the IMAX format.

Downtown Youngstown will welcome back for the third year in a row the PEPSI Outdoor Movie Series starting Monday June 28. This year the series has a new name and a sponsor, Pepsi Beverage Company.

The movies will be shown on the Covelli Centre lawn at dusk. According to a press release from the city of Youngstown, families are encouraged to dine downtown or order take-out before the movies. Jimmy Sutman and Touch the Moon Candy Saloon will also be back this year with old fashioned candy, popcorn and soda.

If there is rain on a Monday, the movie will be shown the next night.

Below is a schedule of the Outdoor Movie Series for summer 2010:

June 28 – “Star Trek: The Future Begins”

July 5 – “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”

July 12 – “The Time Travelers Wife”

July 19 – “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns”

July 26 – “The Blindside”

August 2 – “Twilight: New Moon”

August 9 – “Casablanca”

August 16 – “The Princess and the Frog”

August 23 – “The Dark Knight”

August 30 – “UP”

Grease is still one of the most popular movie musicals of all time. Now, 32 years after its exhilarating cinematic debut with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as the clique- crossed lovers, it sports a brand-new singalong score.

And the very first place you will be able to see Grease: Sing-A-Long locally is at Frisco Square in Frisco, where it will be screened tonight. For free. The next opportunity will be a two-week engagement starting at AMC NorthPark on July 8 as part of a release planned for 12 cities across the United States, although additional ones are already scheduled for July 15.

So how did Frisco Square score this release for its Movies in the Square outdoor film series?

Paramount Pictures was looking for a large open-air facility where people would be comfortable singing and dancing. Paige Scheer of Scheer Mattlage, the event company in charge of Movies in the Square for Frisco Square Development, was happy to oblige.

“We were thrilled that Paramount called us,” says Scheer, who notes that she counts herself as one of the film’s big fans. “It’s an honor to be selected for the pre-screening. We’ve already had a lot of inquiries about Grease. There’s a general buzz and excitement about it.”

It’s a good fit, too, she says, because parents and kids at the Frisco series love to get up and dance at the pre-shows, which feature music a half-hour before the films start.

Scheer is not worried about accommodating the crowds, either. With lawn seating and a huge 26-by-13-foot screen, Frisco hosted about 800 for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs earlier this month and more than 1,000 for The Polar Express two years ago.

To foster a party atmosphere, fans are encouraged to come in ’50s-themed costumes. Next Step Dance will perform a pre-show medley of ’50s song-and-dance numbers beginning at 8:30 p.m. Classic car owners have been invited to show off their wheels. Picnics are welcome, or people can eat at the restaurants at Frisco Square or buy popcorn and lemonade. Free samples of Freddy’s Custard will be offered. And, as with every movie in the series, Frisco Square Development will hold a free raffle at about 8:50 p.m. for a family pack of four movie passes provided by Cinemark and good at any of its locations. Coupons for the raffle will be available on-site; listen for the announcement.

Parents who have watched their kids go crazy over High School Musical , the 2006 Disney Channel blockbuster, have long known that High School Musical owes a lot to Grease. (One could add the tale owes a lot to West Side Story and Romeo and Juliet before that, but High School Musical and Grease do have happier endings.)

As with Grease, High School Musical tells the story of a boy and a girl who fall for each other during the summer and think they will never see each other again, but then find themselves in the same high school. They’re still drawn to each other, but it’s a struggle to be together because they belong to different groups and their friends disapprove.

Both shows have compelling music and dance numbers, including similarly themed final numbers in which all the characters break out of their cliques to bond. For Grease, that’s Scheer’s favorite song, “We Go Together.” For High School Musical it’s the similarly named “We’re All in This Together.”

But an important difference for parents to note is the rating. High School Musical has a G rating. Grease was given a PG when it was originally released, but that was before the PG-13 rating came into existence. While the movie hasn’t changed, the rating has been altered to acknowledge sexual content, teen smoking and drinking, and language.

“There are titles that appeal to some and titles that appeal to others,” says Scheer, who has selected G and PG films for the rest of the summer. “We’re showing movies with a great variety for everyone to choose from and enjoy.”

{TriRight} Tonight at 9 with pre-show entertainment from Next Step Dance starting at 8:30 on the lawn in front of the George A. Purefoy Municipal Center (Frisco’s city hall), 6101 Frisco Square Blvd., Frisco. Take chairs and blankets. Free admission and parking. 469-633-1721. www.friscosquare.com.

Upcoming films: After tonight, the Movies in the Square series will start up again on July 9 and continue on Fridays through July 30. All Dogs Go to Heaven will be screened on July 9; Where the Wild Things Are on July 16; The NeverEnding Story on July 23; and The Black Stallion on July 30.

“CARY GRANT — A STAR TO REMEMBER” “My Favorite Wife,” Monday at 6:30. Free, tickets distributed 30 minutes prior to screening. National Theatre, 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-628-6161. http://www.nationaltheatre.org.

“I [HEART] THE ’90S” ROSSLYN OUTDOOR FILM FESTIVAL At Gateway Park: “Bio-Dome,” Friday at 8. Lee Highway and North Lynn Street, Arlington. 703-276-7759. http://www.rosslynva.org.

AFI SILVER THEATRE “Whiz Kids,” Tuesday-Thursday. $5. “The Cider House Rules,” Tuesday and Wednesday at 7. $6-$10. “Charlie Wilson’s War,” Tuesday and Thursday at 9:10. $6-$10. “Last Orders,” Wednesday at 9:10 and Thursday at 7. $6-$10. 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6720. http://www.afi.com/silver.

ARLINGTON GOES HOLLYWOOD “Breach,” Friday at 8:30. Free. “Heaven Can Wait,” Saturday at 8:30. Free. Lubber Run Amphitheatre, North Second and North Columbus streets, Arlington. 703-228-6966. http://www.arlingtonva.us/prcr.

AMERICAN CITY DINER “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Friday at 8:30. Free. “A Bronx Tale,” Saturday at 8:30. Free. “Glengarry Glenross,” Sunday at 8:30. Free. “Citizen Kane,” Monday at 8:30. Free. “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tuesday at 8:30. Free. “Blazing Saddles,” Wednesday at 8:30. Free. 5532 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-244-1949. http://www.americancitydiner.com.

ANACOSTIA COMMUNITY MUSEUM “The Third Root” (“La Tercera Raiz”), Tuesday at 10:30. Free. 1901 Fort Pl. SE. 202-633-4820.

BRAZILDOCS “The Music Tree,” Friday and Sunday at noon, Saturday and Monday at 2, Tuesday at 10, Wednesday at 4, Thursday at 6. $5. “The Mystery of Samba,” Friday at 1, Saturday at 10, Sunday at 4, Monday at 8, Tuesday and Thursday at 2, Wednesday at noon. $5. “On the Stage,” Friday and Thursday at 4, Saturday at 6, Sunday at 8, Monday at 10, Tuesday at noon, Wednesday at 2. $5. “Beyond Ipanema,” Friday and Wednesday at 6, Saturday and Thursday at 8, Sunday at 2, Monday at noon, Tuesday at 4. $5. “Dzi Croquettes,” Friday and Wednesday at 8, Saturday at noon, Sunday and Thursday at 10, Monday at 4, Tuesday at 6. $5. “Mestre Bimba,” Friday and Wednesday at 10, Saturday at 4, Sunday and Monday at 6, Tuesday at 8, Thursday at noon. $5. Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW. 202-452-7672. http://www.brasilemb.org/culture/events.

CINEMA UNDER THE STARS “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” Friday at 7:30. $20 per car. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” Saturday at 7:30. $20 per car. Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Rd., Lorton. 703-495-0001. http://www.workhousearts.org.

CRYSTAL SCREEN “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” Monday at 8:30. Free. 18th and Bell streets, near Crystal City Metro station, Arlington. 730-412-9430. http://www.crystalcity.org.

DIVAS OUTDOORS “My Little Chickadee,” Friday at 8:30. $15, $10 for students. Hillwood, 4155 Linnean Ave. NW. 202-686-5807. http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org.

FLASHPOINT Irish Popcorn, Monday at 7. Free. 916 G St. NW. 202-315-1305.

GLYNDON PARK Movie in the Park, Friday at 8:45. Call for film title. Free. 300 Glyndon St. NE, Vienna. 703-255-7842.

GOETHE-INSTITUT “Life Is All You Get” (“Das Leben Ist Eine Baustelle”), Monday at 6:30. $6. 812 Seventh St. NW. 202-289-1200. http://www.goethe.de/washington.

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN “Block B,” Friday-Thursday. Free. Seventh Street and Independence Avenue SW. 202-633-1000. http://www.hirshhorn.si.edu.

LOCAL SOLUTIONS FAIR AND WINE FESTIVAL “Local Warming,” Wednesday at 6. $10. U.S. Navy Memorial Heritage Center, Burke Theater, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-737-2300. http://localwarming.eventbrite.com.

MADE IN HONG KONG FILM FESTIVAL “Red Cliff — Part 2,” Friday at 7. Free. “Red Cliff — Part 2,” Sunday at 2. Free. Freer Gallery, Meyer Auditorium, Jefferson Drive and 12th Street SW. 202-633-1000. http://www.asia.si.edu.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES/WILLIAM G. MCGOWAN THEATER 2010 Student Academy Award gold medal films, Wednesday at 7. Free. Constitution Avenue and Seventh Street NW. 202-357-5000. http://www.archives.gov.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN “Spiral” (“Espiral”), Saturday at 2:30. Free. Fourth Street and Independence Avenue SW. 202-633-1000. http://www.nmai.si.edu.

MOVIES ON THE POTOMAC “Kung Fu Panda,” Sunday at 8:30. Free. National Harbor, 150 National Plaza, National Harbor. http://www.nationalharbor.com.

NOMA SUMMER SCREEN “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial,” Wednesday at 9; barbecue and music begin at 7. Free. Second and L streets NE. 202-289-0111. http://www.nomasummerscreen.com.

ROCKVILLE TOWN SQUARE “Sherlock Holmes,” Wednesday at 8:45. Free. between Rockville Pike, East Middle Lane, North Washington Street and Beall Avenue, Rockville. http://www.rockvilletownsquare.com.

SILVERDOCS FESTIVAL At AFI Silver Theatre: “The Arrivals,” Friday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. “The Living Room of the Nation,” Friday at 11:30 a.m. “Intimate Relations” shorts program, Friday at noon and Sunday at 1:45 p.m. “Grace, Milly, Lucy. . . Child Soldiers,” Friday at 1:15 p.m. “The Woman With the Five Elephants,” Friday at 1:45 p.m. “Holywars” Friday at 2:15 p.m. “Familia,” Friday at 4 p.m. and Sunday at 11:30 a.m. “Circo,” Friday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. “Restrepo,” Friday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 9 p.m. “Steam of Life,” Friday at 6:45 p.m. “Monica and David,” Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 11:30 a.m. “Barbershop Punk,” Friday at 8:30 p.m. “Ghosts of the Past” shorts program, Friday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 11:15 a.m. “The People vs. George Lucas,” Friday at 10 p.m. and Sunday at 5:45 p.m. “Marwencol,” Friday at 10:45 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 p.m. “We Don’t Care About Music Anyway. . . ” Friday at 11:15 p.m. “Wo Ai Ni Mommy” (“I Love You, Mommy”), Saturday at 11 a.m. “Camera, Camera,” Saturday at 1:15 p.m. “My Perestroika,” Saturday at 1:30 p.m. “Utopia in Four Movements,” Saturday at 2:30 p.m. “Secrets of the Tribe,” Saturday at 3:30 p.m. “Budrus,” Saturday at 4 p.m. “The Disappearance of McKinely Nolan,” Saturday at 5 p.m. “Last Train Home,” Saturday at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. “On Coal River,” Saturday at 6:45 p.m. “The Tillman Story,” Saturday at 7:30 p.m. “Waste Land,” Saturday at 7:4″The Woodmans,” Saturday at 8:30 p.m. “Sons of Perdition,” Saturday at 9:30 p.m. “The Devilles,” Saturday at 10:30 p.m. “Stones in Exile,” Saturday at 11:59 p.m. “His & Hers,” Sunday at 11 a.m. “The Regretters,” Sunday at 11:15 a.m. “A Film Unfinished,” Sunday at 4 p.m. “Men Who Swim,” Sunday at 4:15 p.m. “Freedom Riders,” Sunday at 6:15 p.m. “The Other City,” Sunday at 6:45 p.m. “Ride, Rise, Roar,” Sunday at 8:30 p.m. “Sinai Field Mission,” Monday at 5 p.m. “Model,” Monday at 7:45 p.m. “Basic Training,” Tuesday at 5 p.m. “Welfare,” Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. “Blind,” Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. “Central Park,” Thursday at 7:05 p.m. At Discovery HD Theater: “The Devilles,” Friday at 11 a.m. “Making the Boys,” Friday at 1:15. “Men Who Swim,” Friday at 3:45. “Regretters,” Friday at 6:15 p.m. “Goodbye, How Are You?” Friday at 8:15 p.m. “The Living Room of the Nation,” Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

“The Invention of Dr. Nakamats,” Saturday at 1:15 p.m. “War Don Don,” Saturday at 3 p.m. “Into Etenity,” Saturday at 5:30 p.m. “The Red Chapel,” Saturday at 10:45 p.m. One Discovery Place, Silver Spring. 240-662-2000. http://www.silverdocs.com.

Educational programming will now be brought to the children of Haiti, via a partnership between Mercy Corps and Sesame Workshop (the nonprofit educational organisation behind Sesame Street). Sesame Workshop has dubbed one DVD featuring two Sesame Home Videos into Creole, and produced three short original films shot in Haiti specific to the country’s post-earthquake challenges. Mercy Corps will distribute at least 1,000 DVDs of this programming to schools, orphanages and other child-friendly facilities in the country.

The Sesame Street films provide entertainment and learning opportunities for children, and stress the importance of physical activity, healthy eating, teamwork, and play. Cinderelmo, starring Keri Russell, Kathy Najimy and Oliver Platt, follows the trials and tribulations of Elmo as he escapes from his evil stepmother and seeks true love with a princess. Happy Healthy Monsters features Wyclef Jean, India Arie, other celebrities and a host of Muppets promoting healthy, active lifestyles.

Accompanying the DVD releases are three live action films created by Sesame Workshop and the filmmaker Linda Costigan after the earthquake. The films, built around original footage shot in Haiti in partnership with a local production team, promote cooperation, self-esteem, creativity and hope. “Helping Hands” features children helping each other and adults in such activities as preparing food and pitching a tent; “I Am Haiti” reinforces the message that children will be key to Haiti’s recovery; and “Recycled Car” uses a metaphor of two young boys building a toy car to suggest that Haitians will build their country anew.

Several focus groups of Haitian children and parents have viewed the films in the past few weeks, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“We are thrilled to work with Sesame Workshop to bring joy and learning to the children of Haiti,” said Mercy Corps’ Haiti Youth Program Manager Kyle Dietrich. “This partnership combines Sesame Workshop’s expertise developing outstanding content for children with Mercy Corps’ experience working with children and parents in post-disaster environments.”

“For more than 40 years, Sesame Workshop has been providing children with educational lessons, loveable characters and messages of healing. Children in Haiti are in a terribly difficult situation, and they desperately need the normalcy, knowledge and inspiration our programs can provide,” explained Gary Knell, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop. “It is through the support and commitment of funders and partners that we are able to create and distribute this important content to children in need.”

This Sesame Street project in Haiti is made possible through generous grants from Connie and Bob Lurie and Motorola Foundation to Sesame Workshop.

Mercy Corps will distribute 1,000 DVDs of the films throughout Haiti, and may distribute up to 5,000 additional copies in the coming months. The DVDs will be sent to schools, orphanages, hospitals, health clinics, youth centers and beyond. The Sesame Street episodes are also being screened at Cinema Under the Stars (Sinema Anba Zetwal), a Mercy Corps-supported tour of interactive open-air events that use film, music, and skits to educate and entertain tens of thousands of Haitians in earthquake-affected areas.

The films will be integrated into Mercy Corps’ Comfort for Kids program, which trains parents and other caregivers to help children emotionally recover from the earthquake. Comfort for Kids is a key component of the Mercy Corps Haiti youth program which combines training for caregivers, workbooks for adults and children, open-air film events, as well as arts and sports-based youth development activities.

Source: http://www.screenafrica.com/pls/cms/page?s=2054,4713,0,0,103,590300,Sesame_goes_to_Haiti

Outdoor Movies in Chicago, Illinois

Alderman Gene Schulter is pleased to announce that the 47th Ward Outdoor Film Festival will kick off this month and will feature a broad range of family favorites. The 47th Ward Outdoor Film Festival is being sponsored and coordinated by Alderman Schulter in conjunction with the Ravenswood Community Council, Greening of Ravenswood, and the Chicago Park District

“Creating events and activities that give friends and neighbors an opportunity to come together is an important part of making our communities livable,” states Alderman Schulter. “Outdoor film festivals, along with outdoor concerts and neighborhood festivals, can be an important component to keeping vibrant and economically viable.”

Alderman Schulter is also pleased to report that the film festival is being entirely funded by private donations and money raised by the Greening of Ravenswood.

“The City of Chicago is still facing serious budget concerns,” continues Alderman Schulter. “To be able to provide this type of events without drawing from the City budget is a real testament to the commitment of our community.”

The schedule, community-led film reviews, and other interactive features will be available throughout the summer at 47thwardfilmfest.blogspot.com. Included in the schedule are also four movies sponsored by the Chicago Park District as a part of the Movies in the Park program.

The 47th Ward Film Festival schedule is as follows:

Friday, June 25 (Sponsored by the Chicago Park District)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Winnemac Park – 5100 N. Leavitt
Inspired by the children’s book, this animated film tells the story of a small town with some severe weather conditions.

Friday, July 9 (Sponsored by the Chicago Park District)
The Never Ending Story
Chase Park – 4701 N. Ashland
A young boy gets a chance to be a hero in a magical world through the pages of an incredible book.

July 10 (Sponsored by the Chicago Park District)
The Spy Next Door
Revere Park – 2509 W. Irving Park
Jackie Chan stars in this family favorite about a former CIA agent who struggles to babysit three kids while protecting top secret information.

Tuesday, July 13
Roman Holiday
Senior Campus – 4040 N. Oakley
Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn star in the 1953 classic about a sheltered European princess who falls in love with an American reporter.

Tuesday, July 20
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Revere Park – 2509 W. Irving Park
Gene Wilder stars as the eccentric candy maker in Roald Dahl’s classic story about Charlie’s visit to the Chocolate Factory.

Tuesday, July 27
The Blind Side
Winnemac Park – 5100 N. Leavitt
Sandra Bullock’s Academy Award winning performance as a mother who welcomes a homeless teenager into her family and teaches him the joy of football.

Tuesday, August 3
Singin’ in the Rain
Chase Park – 4701 N. Ashland
Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds sing and dance their way through a delightful story about a silent film company transition to talkies.

Tuesday, August 10
Rear Window
Senior Campus – 4040 N. Oakley
Alfred Hitchcock’s thrilling tale, starring James Steward and Grace Kelly, of a wheelchair-bound photographer learning too much about his neighbors.

Thursday, August 12
The Muppet Movie
AG Bell School – 3730 N. Oakley
Kermit and Miss Piggy, along with Fozzie and the rest of the gang, make their way to Hollywood in this 1979 introduction to Jim Henson’s Muppets.

Saturday, August 14 (Sponsored by the Chicago Park District)
Where the Wild Things Are
Winnemac Park – 5100 N. Leavitt
Spike Jonze re-imagines the Maurice Sendak classis about a little boy who runs away and meets his match of wild things.

Tuesday, August 17
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Revere Park – 2509 W. Irving Park
Harrison Ford battles snakes and more in his search for the lost Ark of the Covenant in Steven Spielberg’s first film in the Indiana Jones series.

Tuesday, August 24
Mary Poppins
Chase Park – 4701 N. Ashland
Julie Andrew’s stars as the magical nanny who teaches the Banks family to enjoy life with a spoonful of sugar.

Tuesday, August 31
Enchanted
Winnemac Park – 5100 N. Leavitt
A fairy tale princess finds herself in New York City with a new kind of Prince Charming in this heartwarming story.

Tuesday, September 7
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Welles Park – 2333 W. Sunnyside
Matthew Broderick stars as Ferris Bueller in this classic 80′s film about a high school student taking a day off in Chicago. Watch the movie and then enjoy the real von Steuben Day parade the following Saturday.

Chicago, Illinois: Outdoor Movies in 47th Ward

http://47thwardfilmfest.blogspot.com/